On the team's blog, Hitch says that the #1 fan complaint has been the concession experience at PHP. So they've pulled the contract from Sodexho's slimy, French, incapable hands and given it to CenterPlate. From what I've read Centerplate makes it a point to do regional, specialized concessions at every venue. What kind of stuff do you think they'll have at PHP? http://www.centerplate.com/ There's a list of clients on there....maybe if any of you have been to one of these venues you can report on the quality of the food and service. There are no MLS teams on that list.
The only two of those places I've been to are Hanauma Bay and Kona airport, and I don't recall eating at either. Still, that's a pretty extensive, varied and high profile client list, so I can't see how this won't be an improvement.
Well.....Sodexho's list is more extensive and just as high profile....so i don't know if that necessarily means anything. But I certainly think have a good portion of the NFL stadiums is a good sign.
Maybe they'll manage to make a pretzel or pop corn that doesn't taste like it was left over from last season. I also hope they keep the Nutty Bavarian guy around.
Yes, I think service is the much bigger factor here. Sure, the food wasn't great, but it's a ballpark, you don't expect 5 star dining. But you do expect to get your food in a decent amount of time from an employee that has the semblence of a clue.
I have been to a royals game and I went to a yankees game this past June. At both places the food was generic stadium food (i.e. hotdogs, nachos...). The service was fast and the food wasn't horrible. At both places I just got a hotdog and a coke, so you can't really compare the two because they used different brand hotdogs. I really wish they still served decker dogs here because those were the best stadium hotdogs I ever had.
Considering thart I am moving to the East side this year (which usually had longer concession lines), I sure hope they move things along faster this year.
Interesting. The Centerplate website makes a big deal about their regional offerings. Maybe that's just for the high-end ticket holders or the luxury box folks. The concession contracts change pretty frequently, so who knows if they were the Royals vendor at that time. They've been the Yankee vendor for 40 years....so there is no doubt there. Interestingly, this is their last season at Yankee stadium. Next year the team itself will be handling the concessions at the new stadium. This is the first MLB team to self-manage their food service. Should be an interesting experiment. Wonder how long it'll last.
The teenagers (and their supervising parents) can't do math on the West side but at least the lines are shorter because a third of the West side is living the high life in the VZW Club.
I think the biggest thing slowing down lines is people that go up and buy one item (or really any # of items I guess) and pay with a CC or debit card. That slows things down tremendously. They should have cash only and CC only lines. I rarely carry cash on a daily basis, but when in a stadium I always have cash. My 2 pesos. As long as they keep the grande Tecate's I'll be happy.
It is possible that they did have stands with regional offerings but I didn't specificly seek these out. It seemed like every stand I went by just had the generic stuff though.
It boggles my mind that so many people pay for food and drink inside. For the price of a hot dog and beer in the stadium, I could get a sick pack and cook a bunch of hot dogs outside before the game.
The year that I had season tickets for the family, we would stop at Subway or somewhere on the one-hour drive. I had a cooler in the trunk and had a beer walking from the car to the stadium. I still bought a beer or soda when I got in, but not often. I think one time we were running late and I didn't want to stop to eat, so I bought pizza's and soda for the kids when we got there. That was a waste of $50. They were hungry 10 minutes later.
Wasteful spending. IMO, its the reason our economy is going down the tubes. BTW, hope you get over that SICK pack soon!
LOL... Sick Pack. Is that like Natural Light? Can any nasty, cheap beer be considered a Sick pack? or does it have to be really cheap?
Obviously I agree with you.....I wouldn't eat a thing in that stadium...for various reasons. But a lot of people do, and it's a big revenue stream for the club. Personally, I'm just really tired of the incessant whining of the people that attend games regarding the concessions and I'm happy the team is at least addressing one major fan concern. I think it's silly that THIS constitutes a "fan concern"....but it's a diverse audience at PHP games and some people care more about Conor and McKenna's luke warm pizza than they do about the inability to win championships.
I worked for a caterer once who was just observant of the price of various RETAIL items, and very aware of sales at RETAIL grocery stores, that she PROFITABLY provided great cooked and baked meals for the many people at different events ... ... at a materials cost to her so low that, when a local charity wrote that it could provide Thanksgiving meals to the homeless @ $1.75/per meal donation, she was all like, "Somebody at the charity is skimming!" joking of, course, but...her price /per person was lower! So. I do wonder if the last concessions peope realize what a great symbiosis food and soccer could be... and also whether they are even trying. for starters, where's the adidas Telstar "soccer ball" replica pizza --- you know, the one with hexagonal pepperoni and salami slices against a mozzarella background? LASTLY!: put the concession stand menu in big letters on big boards on the front wall of the concession stand: that encourages (AND ENABLES!) prospective customers to know what they're gonna order before they get to the front of the line! ... where they will ask you, "How big's a 'medium' drink" ... UNLESS you, you, the thoughtful concessionaire, DISPLAY (on said big board on the wall directly ABOVE the counter) an actual "small" drink cup, an actual "medium" drink cup AND ALSO, an actual "large" drink cup. that's at least a $10-grand consultation fee right there. btw what with computers and all, this "big, out front display" concept could be applied by the FCD FO at the ticket windows, informing the people of sold-out sections BEFORE they get to the front of the line and play a nice fun game of 20 questions with the ticket seller.... oh wait... no Beckham.
peg, u sir, get a reppy reppy nar nar. its amazing how many care about the grub, i felt sick at that stadium multiple times last year and it wasnt b/c of what i ate.